The Panic Room
by jemb
Summary: Brennan accompanies Booth to a high profile murder scene but things dont turn out as planned. One Shot....maybe


_**This story did not end the way I thought it would. When you get there you'll see. I was actually laughing as I wrote it so the ending kinda sucks but I love it as little silly fic. Hopefully you will too. **_

On a cool autumn morning, Temperance Brennan follows her partner, Special Agent Seely Booth, into a luxury apartment complex in the heart of the city.

"If you already know who this guy is why do you need me here?" Brennan asks as she strides alongside him through the marble floored lobby and past a couple of police officers and the doorman.

"We need confirmation Bones." Booth tells her as he pushes the elevator button.

"Fine but couldn't I have just done that at the lab?" she complains.

"Since when do you not want in on the scene analysis?" Booth turns and asks.

"Since I have a mountain of work to do." She replies. Feeling impatient she leans forward and presses the elevator button several times in rapid succession.

"Bones, that isn't going to make the elevator come down any quicker." Brennan merely glares at him in response to his statement. After a few moments of silence the elevator doors finally open and the pair steps inside. A short ride later they exit at the Penthouse suite where they are greeted by another FBI agent.

"Booth." The agent greets.

"Wilson." Booth returns the greeting. "This is Dr Brennan." Booth gestures to his partner who smiles a hello.

"The remains were found this morning by the cleaner." Wilson explains. "They're inside a panic room."

"A panic room?" Brennan asks, not asking what it is, more why there is one.

"Carlos Santiago is associated with a major gang. We believe he was involved in money laundering. He had a lot of enemies. He had it built to protect him and his family in the event that their home was taken over." Wilson explains to her as they walk down the darkened hall towards the main door. He stands aside to let them inside and upon seeing the open door to the panic room, Brennan strides forward. She moves past several other agents on her way, one of whom is interviewing an older woman, whom Brennan assesses as the cleaner based on her clothes. Booth follows her over and the pair step inside the darkened panic room.

The remains are lying near the back of the room. Pieces of clothing still remain on the almost completely decomposed remains. Brennan pulls a flashlight out of her bag, switches it on and moves over to the remains. Booth stands by the door.

"Why did no one find him sooner?" she asks. "It looks like the victim has been in here for several months." Booth flips open a notepad and scans the scribbles on it.

"Apparently everyone believed Santiago had gone underground. It wasn't unusual for him to be out of contact with his family for long periods of time. The family are in Brazil at the moment and no one was using the apartment." He squints his eyes to read the rest of the notes, the lack of lighting in the room doing nothing to help. "The cleaner was here to get the place ready for the family returning at the weekend." He says.

"Can we get some more light in here?" Brennan asks, turning in her crouched position to look at Booth. He shifts his weight and looks at the panel of buttons inside the door.

"One of these must be a light switch." He mutters, almost to himself. He picks a switch, flicks it then spins around when the heavy steel door of the panic room flies shut.

"Booth!" Brennan exclaims, jumping to her feet.

"What the…" Booth thumps on the door and presses the button again but the door remains steadfastly shut. "It's locked."

"What do you mean it's locked?" she demands, hands on hips and a fierce look in her eyes. Booth turns around.

"I mean the door is locked Bones." He glares back.

"Well open it." She tells him.

"I would if I could." Booth replies. Brennan walks over to him and pushes past his large frame to the door. She thumps on it a few times then yells.

"Bones, calm down, it's not like no one knows we're in here. There is a room full of Agents out there who just saw the door shut."

"That's not the point." Brennan turns and sticks out her jaw, looking up at him. "You'd think a trained FBI Agent would know not to go pushing buttons in a room like this." She almost yells.

"Geez Bones, take a chill pill." Booth backs away from the fiery doctor.

"What did you think you were doing?" she demands.

"Getting you more light so you could look at that." He gestures to the remains.

"Well that worked out well didn't it?" she turns away from him and walks a few steps into the panic room. Suddenly a small TV screen mounted on the wall lights up and voice speaks to them.

"Agent Booth. Can you hear me?" Agent Wilson appears on the screen. Booth walks over and stands before the screen.

"Yes, what's going on?"

"It would appear that the panic room is on lockdown."

"Lockdown?" Booth asks.

"Yes, the cleaner has informed us that there is a button in the room that when pressed will seal the room for a set period of time."

"Do we know how long?" Booth asks.

"There should be a timer clock in there somewhere." Wilson explains. Booth glances over the panel and locates a red LED timer.

"It's counting down from ten hours." Booth tells Wilson. He glances across the small room to see Brennan looking very angry. She turns away from him and starts to look at the remains, hoping to calm her.

"Uh, we're contacting the company that installed it to see if there is an override. Until we get some answers you two are just going to have to wait this out." Wilson tells them before the TV screen goes black again.

"Great. Just great." Brennan sighs. "I don't have time to sit in here for ten hours."

"What could possibly be so important?" Booth asks flippantly.

"My work." Brennan answers sharply as she rises from her crouched position. "I have plenty of important things to do apart from your cases."

"I'm sure it won't matter if you lose a day." Booth slips his overcoat off and drops it on the floor before leaning back against the wall, bracing himself with one foot.

"This is so typical of you." Brennan stalks as far away from Booth as she can get without stepping on the remains.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Booth stands up straight.

"Everything revolves around you." She glares. "What Booth wants Booth gets." Booth is a little taken aback by Brennan's outburst. Sure they argue but never like this.

"Bones, what is your problem?" he asks. "You've been angry at me all morning. Have I done something I don't know I've done?" he asks. Brennan stares at him, her emotions overcoming her rational side.

"Why didn't you tell me about you and Cam?" she asks. Booth's eyes widen when he realises she knows about him and Camille.

"What?" he asks.

"Don't play innocent with me Booth." She shakes her head. Booth takes a few steps towards her.

"It never came up." He says. Brennan blows a puff of air, sending the loose locks of hair framing her face into the air and back down again. "Come on Bones, what was I supposed to say? 'Morning Bones. We have a new case. And oh, I'm sleeping with your boss'?" he asks. Before Brennan can reply the TV screen flashes on again.

"Agent Booth." Wilson reappears.

"What's the story?"

"We've got an engineer on the way over. Apparently he'll be able to get the door open but we need to cut all electrics. That means you'll be out of contact from us and the air conditioning will shut down. It's going to get warm in there." As Wilson explains the situation Booth glances over at Brennan who's eyes are still wide with shock and then at the remains. He doesn't need to have doctorate to realise that as the bones warm up the remaining flesh is going to start smelling.

"How long once the engineer gets here until we get out?" Booth asks, turning back to the TV screen.

"Maybe two hours." Wilson explains. "The engineer will be here in thirty minutes."

"Okay, do what you have to." He sighs. The TV goes black then all the little lights go off, followed by the air conditioning shutting down.

"Great." Brennan sighs as she shrugs off her jacket, places it on the ground then sits down on it. Booth loosens his tie and takes off his suit jacket, placing it with his overcoat. He then sits down opposite Brennan.

"Bones, I'm not going to say I'm sorry for not telling you about me and Cam." He states. She lifts her head and looks at him.

"Did I ask you too?" she asks.

"Not directly."

"Booth, who you choose to date is your business." She says quietly. "Just like who I date is my business."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Booth asks, sitting up a little.

"I mean every time you find out I'm dating someone you practically interrogate them."

"I do not."

"David." She retorts quickly.

"That was different. He might have been trying to kill you." Booth explains, badly.

"Hardly." She rolls her eyes.

"Whatever Bones." He leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes.

"I don't care that you're dating Cam." Brennan states. _Well maybe just a whole lot._ "I just feel like you were hiding it from me." She tells him.

"I wasn't hiding it." Booth says. "It just never came up." He tells her again. The two stare at each other for a moment before Brennan shifts her position and moves over to the remains. _I might as well do something productive while I'm stuck in here._

There is silence in the panic room between Booth and Brennan. She has immersed herself in the remains, ignoring Booth completely while he sits at the far end of the room, cursing himself for making Brennan feel bad about the whole Cam situation and wondering how he can fix it. _I never wanted to hurt her. It's her I want but we can't be together, it would ruin everything_. Both have noticed the room getting a lot warmer in the last hour and a half and Booth has now completely removed his tie and undone the top few buttons of his short. Brennan keeps wiping sweat from her brow as she works. After glancing at her watch for the umpteenth time she finally sets down the tools she had pulled from her bag and leans back against the wall. _I'm done, I can't do anymore in here_.

The cool comfort the steel wall used to offer is starting to fade as the room heats up. She closes her eyes and tries to work out how she can make up with Booth. _I never meant to get so mad, I was just upset about him and Cam_. She is suddenly distracted from her thoughts by out of tune mumblings from Booth. She turns her head to see him bobbing his head and….singing? She listens to the words and a smile crosses her face.

_I remember all my life, raining down as cold as ice_

_Shadows of a man, a face through a window, _

_Crying in the night, the night goes into morning_

_Just another day, happy people pass my way_

_Looking in their eyes, I see a memory _

_I never realised how happy you made me_

A smirk crosses her face as she watches him.

"Booth, are you singing Barry Manilow?" she asks when he pauses momentarily. Booth turns and a grin crosses his face as he sings a little louder, still out of tune.

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you came and you gave without taking_

_But I sent you away _

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking _

_And I need you today _

_Oh Mandy_

Booth sees the smile on her face and he stops singing for a moment.

"What?" he asks innocently.

"Mandy?" she tries not to giggle. Booth shrugs as he launches into the second verse, snaking his neck from side to side in a dodgy dance move.

_I'm standing on the edge of time_

_I've walked away when love was mine_

_Caught up in a world of uphill climbing_

_The tears are in my eye and nothing is rhyming_

As Booth reaches the chorus again he is surprised to hear Brennan joining in with him although very quietly. To encourage her he sings louder and with exaggerated feeling and gestures. Brennan shifts to sit back on her heels as she sings along, not really caring that her voice sounds like someone is standing on a cat's tail.

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you came and you gave without taking_

_But I sent you away _

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking _

_And I need you today _

_Oh Mandy_

The two stare at each other as the song reaches the climax, knowing they're going to sing this part very loudly. Booth raises his arms and extends them, waving them around madly.

_Yesterday's a dream, I face the morning_

_Crying on a breeze, the pain is calling_

As they reach the end of the song Brennan is having to fight not to laugh. They both known their argument is over, the song their apology to each other, stupid as it may seem to anyone else.

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you came and you gave without taking_

_But I sent you away _

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking _

_And I need you _

_Oh Mandy_

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you came and you gave without taking_

_But I sent you away _

_Oh Mandy_

_Well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking _

_And I need you _

As they reach the end the song there is a loud clank and the heavy steel door that has them locked in begins to open slowly. Booth lowers his outstretched hands and both stop singing. They each hope no one on the outside heard their terrible rendition of such a cheesy song. Brennan clambers to her feet and Booth rises easily to his.

"I guess we're getting out." He shrugs.

"I guess so." Brennan nods, rocking on her heels a little.

"You need a hand with your stuff?" he asks.

"I got it." She replies as she moves over to the remains and her samples and tools. Booth moves over to the door to meet the engineer and Agent Wilson who are on the other side, unaware of the antics going on in the room just moments ago. Booth turns back to Brennan and a smile tugs at his lips. _I'm glad we're not fighting anymore_ he thinks. _Now I just need to fix this whole Cam situation._

**_Okay so I know it got a little stupid at the end but I was watching an old episode of Angel where he sings Mandy in the karaoke club and well, it was David Boreanaz and it made a cute story. And besides, I kinda like Barry Manilow. Sue me (well don't really coz I have no money)._**

_**Oh and please review so I know what you think**_


End file.
